All It Takes Is A Ransom, Frerard
by StereoRiptide
Summary: The Way brothers lost their parents to an accident three years ago, leaving comic artist Gerard full custody of his infant brother. Now 23, Gerard is realizing that juggling work and raising three year old Mikey isn't exactly an easy, or fun, job.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1) The Daily Ritual**

.-.-.

"Have you seen my bag, Mikes? You know, the army green one that goes over my shoulder. It has all my new comic panels..." I yell from my studio, voice echoing throughout the penthouse.

"Your bag is on the coat rack." Mikey yells from the elevator door.

"Why the he... I mean, why is it there?" I groan, walking swiftly to the coat rack and throwing my bag over my shoulder before joining Mikey in the elevator.

"Can I press the button, please?" He asks timidly, index finger only centimeters from the down button.

"I guess so. But only since you used the magic word, my little button whore." I tell him, smiling. He presses the button and then turns to frown at me.

"Mrs. Murphy said that whore is a bad word." He says sternly.

"I really don't give a flying fu..." I tell him.

"Geeeward." Mikey groans, cutting me off. He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his uniform clad chest.

"Sorry." I sigh, running my fingers through my shaggy black hair. It's in desperate need of a trim but I haven't been able to find time between drawing comics and taking care of Mikey. The elevator door opens up to the lobby, and our morning ritual begins when Mikey grabs my hand.

"Good morning Mrs. Barrett." Mikey says cheerfully as we pass the front desk.

"Good morning Michael." The elderly woman replies happily before glancing at me. "Mr. Way." She says coldly, giving me a nod. I roll my eyes and pull Mikey towards the doors.

"My name is Gerard, you crazy old woman." I murmur in annoyance. "Mr. Way is my father."

My black mustang awaits us at the edge of the sidewalk. I buckle Mikey into his car-seat and make sure everything is secure before heading towards his preschool.

"Mrs. Murphy said we're getting a new student today, Geward." Mikey says two minutes later.

"Is that so?" I reply, more interested in what radio station was on at the moment.

"Uh-huh."

"Well try to make he or she feel welcome today. It's hard being the new kid." I tell him, flinching when memories of my own childhood come to mind.

"He's a boy, and we're going to be best friends." He says.

"Did Mrs. Murphy tell you that?" I ask.

"No. I just know that kinda stuff." He replies, turning his attention back to the window.

He hums an Anthrax (the only band that he's heard and actually liked) song the rest of the drive. Mikey is one of few people that don't annoy me while in the car. He doesn't ask 'are we there yet' or 'can you turn the air conditioning down', and silence never bothers him. We have that in common.

-.-.-

"We are so fuckin' late it's not even funny." I say, mostly to myself, while pulling a shirt over my head. "Are you ready, buddy?" I say, running passed the little boy and attempting to find my shoes.

"I've been ready for a long time, daddy." He laughs, sitting his empty bowl into the sink.

"Then why the hell didn't you wake me up?" I ask him, falling against the door in the middle of tying the laces.

"You said not to interrupt your sleep again because the boogie man might decide to eat me." He shrugs, grabbing his backpack and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Oh right. Well that was the drunk, tired daddy. The sober daddy says you need to wake him up on Monday's. Let's go." I say, lifting him up with one arm and leaving our small apartment.

It takes ten minutes to walk to the bus stop, and then a fifteen minute ride to get to this new preschool. How could I afford preschool when can't even score a car, you ask? My parents are paying for his tuition as long as I keep my promise to find a job that doesn't involve playing guitar.

.-.-.

When we reach the school I hold Mikey's hand and walk him to his classroom. Neither of us bother to initiate conversation. Another part of our daily ritual. We stop outside his door and I kneel down to his level, adjust his t-shirt, and make sure both of his shoes are on the right feet. He smiles and pushes his glasses up off the edge of his nose before wiping a line of green paint off of my forehead with his thumb

"Have a good day." He tells me.

"You too, Mikes." I smile, wrapping my arms around his little form and giving him a hug.

"Can't you pick me up after school today?" He asks, hope shining in his eyes.

"You know I can't, but I'll be home for dinner." I tell him. He frowns and turns around to face the doorway.

"I love you." He says, turning his head around to look at me.

"Love you too." I tell him before he disappears into his classroom.

-.-.-

"Batman is waaaay better than Superman." I argue, giving him a piggy back ride to his classroom.

"Batman doesn't even have powers, daddy. Superman can get shot in the eye and still beat the bad guys." He replies, flicking my cheek.

"Ow, damn kid." I groan, sitting him down at the door.

I go over his appearance and make sure he isn't missing anything vital, like pants. He'd only forgotten them once, but I'll never forgive myself for not noticing until after the teacher called. Black skinny jeans (he begged to have some that matched mine), Captain America t-shirt (mine happened to be a Black Flag shirt today), and red, high top, Converse (exactly like mine). You could say we had the same style. I guess that's a good excuse considering we share some of the same DNA.

"See ya." He says, turning to walk away. I grab his backpack and turn him around.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast. I think you're forgetting something." I say, smirking. He rolls his eyes and gives me a bear hug before running into his new classroom with a mischievous grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2) Sleeping Pills and Disaster Area's**

.-.-.

"I told you over and over again. I don't want to fund this woman's damn gallery. I don't like her work so stop forcing her portfolio on me. Okay?" I yell, losing my temper for the second time today.

"Okaaay...no need to lose your cool, Mr. Way." Annie mumbles while cleaning the papers off my desk.

"Sorry. I just didn't get any sleep last night because I had to finish the comic panels that were due this morning." I sigh, breathing heavily in an attempt to calm myself the hell down.

"Well -now keep in mind this is only my opinion- I think your list of priorities is all jacked up. Pardon my language. But you have a lot on your plate, sir. You're writing a comic, running an art gallery, and raising a three year old. I don't think any one person can do all that by themselves." She says. I choose not to comment and wave her away, wanting to be alone in my office.

-.-.-

"Any previous experience, Mr. Iero?" The Target manager asks, eyes roaming over me for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour.

"No, sir." I say. "But I'm a quick learner." I add quickly, noticing his look of disapproval.

"I would have to ask you to shave your head, or at least get a normal hair cut." He says, causing me to flinch.

"I could do that." I choke out. Cutting my hair is a last resort, but I really need this job. The money in my bank account would fit into a coin purse.

"Any tattoo's, Mr. Iero?" He asks. Of course he hits below the belt.

"Some." I say, shrugging. Better to play the uninterested business man than the annoying punk.

"How many, Mr. Iero? I don't like a lot of gang markings on my employees." Okay, screw the uninterested business man. I was born an annoying punk.

"Six-fuckin-teen...Sir."

-.-.-

"Come on, already. Where are you, buddy?" I groan, glancing at the empty school parking lot. He should've been outside twenty minutes ago, waiting to be picked up. Second day of preschool and he's already got into something he shouldn't have. That's an Iero for ya.

.-.-.

"MIKEY! I'M HOME!" I yell, throwing my bag onto the coat rack and shrugging out of my tux jacket. I could hear hushed whispers coming from the studio and panicked. Casey know's to never let Mikey in my studio unless I'm home. I pay her way too much for her to slip up. I kick my shoes off and run to the studio door, throwing it open.

My once spotless, organized, shiny, and sanitized studio is now a disaster area. Paint all over the wood floors, canvas' covered in paintings of stars, Big Bird, unicorns, and what appears to be a... ninja turtle doing the macarana? My eyes turn to the two small figures standing in the middle of the room. The masterminds. Mikey stands, covered in paint and feathers, beside a little boy I'd never seen before. He was smaller than Mikey, with dark brown hair (now covered with yellow paint) that pointed in every direction.

"Holy. Mother. Of. God."

"Oops?" Mikey says, dropping the paintbrush and raising his hands in surrender.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? IN MY STUDIO. IN MY ROOM. THIS IS MY SPACE, MIKEY! YOU KNOW THAT." I yell, using any and all hand gestures to convey my horror.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry." He says quickly, running over to hug my leg. I groan and pry him off, lifting him up and placing him on the floor in front of me.

"Why the hell would you do this, Mikes? You know how much this stuff means to me. And where the hell is Casey? She's supposed to be babysitting." I groan in frustration. The smaller boy walks over to stand beside Mikey, hands behind his back and a smirk on his face.

"Casey is takin' a nap at the table." He says happily.

"Why the hell would Casey fall asleep at the table?" I ask, mostly to Mikey since I have no clue who this other midget is.

"Well... you know that stuff you take when you can't fall aweep?" Mikey asks hesitantly.

"My sleeping tablets?" I ask, growing more and more scared of what he's about to reveal to me.

"Yea, those. Well anyways, she was compwaining about never getting to weep, so we put some of those in her wemonade. " He says, smiling proudly.

"You put sleeping tablets... into Casey's lemonade?" I ask slowly. Both boys nod and I feel myself turning red, the steam waiting to shoot out of my ears like in Mikey's favorite cartoon. "Oh my god." I groan, covering my face with my hand. "Go sit at the counter, and take..."

"Ransom Anthony Thomas Iero." The little boy says, smirk still on his face.

"Ransom?" I ask. He nods, and before I can comment on the absurd name, Mikey is pulling him to the kitchen. I take one last glance at my destroyed studio before gently closing the door and going to join the boys. Once I get to the kitchen I find Casey exactly as they said. Sitting with her face flat on the table, snoring. I sigh and lift her up carefully, walking to the living room and lying her on the black couch. At least now she won't have a neck, back, and who knows what else, cramp in the morning.

"Do you know your parents phone number, Ransom?" I ask when I walk back into the kitchen.

"I know my daddy's number. My mom weft when a was a wittle baby. Daddy says she was a wying wittle wut..."

"Did you just say she was a lying, little sl... Well, I think that's enough of your family history. Now what's his number? I need to call so he can come pick you up."

"862-324-1472" He says quickly. It takes me a minute to decipher what he said, but the phone eventually rings. Signaling the number was real.

"_Hello?" _A tired voice asks.

"Mr. Iero?" I ask, running my fingers through my hair.

"_Who is this?" _He asks.

"This is Gerard Way. My brother Mikey is in Ransom's class. I think he brought him home by accident."

-.-.-

"Are you okay? Why the fuck did you leave without telling me? Do you know how scared I was? These people could've been fuckin' murderers. No offense, Mr. Way, Mikey."

"None taken, and it's just Gerard." Gerard says, his hand placed firmly on Mikey's shoulder.

"You scared the shit outta me kid." I say, pulling Ransom into a tight hug.

"Sorry, daddy. Mikey just wanted me to come play at his house." He says quietly.

"It's alright. I'm just glad you're safe." I tell him, releasing him from the hug and standing up to look Gerard in the face. There was no denying the fact that he was a good looking man. No, good looking didn't suffice. He was a _beautiful _man. With the jet black hair and hazel eyes.

"I'm extremely sorry about this whole situation, Mr. Iero. I assure you, Mikey has never done something like this before. He's usually very good about listening." Gerard says in one breath.

"It's Frank, and thanks for taking care of him. I don't know what I would've done if something would've happened to my little guy. At least they seemed to have fun." I tell him, extending my hand. He shakes it quickly before stepping back beside Mikey again.

"Oh they definitely did." Gerard says, giving Mikey a quick glare before turning his gaze back to me.

"Well, maybe we'll see you guys at school. Thanks again. Night." I say, stepping back into the elevator with Ransom beside me.

"BYE MIKEY!" Ransom yells as the door closes.

.-.-.

"You are in so much fucking trouble it's not even funny, Mikey." I say, throwing the ruined canvas' into a pile on one side of the studio.

"I'm really, really, REALLY sorry, Geward." He says, looking down at the floor. I turn around and walk past him, into the kitchen, and fill up a glass of water to take to bed with me.

"I can't believe you did that to Casey." I say again, looking at her sleeping form. "You could've killed her, Mikes."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry." He says quietly, returning to the room with his red _The Flash _blanket. He covers Casey's body with it, being careful not to wake her up.

"Whatever. I'll deal with all this shit in the morning. Night." I sigh, walking past him and into my bedroom, slamming the black door behind me.

.-.-.

"Geward. Geward? Gee."

"Huh? What?" I groan, opening one of my eyes. A blurry Mikey sits on my bed in front of me, holding his stuffed Unicorn under his arm. "What are you doing awake? It's 3:00am."

"I couldn't sweep, and Sparkles said I should come sweep with you." He whispers.

"Sparkles said that? Well then I guess you have to." I tell him, closing my eyes and reaching my hand out to him. He lies down and snuggles against my chest, sighing contently.

"Will you ever forgive me?" He whispers a few minutes later.

"I already did, Mikey. Just go to sleep, ok?"

"I love you."

"Love you too...and you, Sparkles the unicorn."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3) Cursing, Cartoons, and Bubbles**

.-.-.

My eyes snap open after hearing something metal hit the floor in the kitchen. A minute later, Mikey enters the room, holding a tray.

"What are you doing up so early, Mikes? It's only six thirty." I say, voice still deep and crackly.

"I made breakfast." He says, sitting the tray of food on the edge of the bed and climbing up to sit beside me.

"Mmm... Lucky Charms and Orange juice in a sippy cup. You're the greatest, bro." I say, ruffling his perfectly combed hair just to annoy him. He groans and smacks my hand away.

"Stop touching my hair and eat your Wucky Charms." He says, pointing his finger at me seriously.

"Aye aye, captain. How about after breakfast I start you a bath? You can pour the bubbles in." I ask, noticing how more marshmallows are ending up on his face than in his mouth.

"Bubble bath's are for babies, Geward." He sighs, milk dripping down the sides of his mouth.

"Then what do you wanna do? You can't stay dirty forever." I tell him.

"I don't know. I just don't wanna take a bath. I wanna go to school to play and see Ransom. And besides... weal men don't take bubble baths." He whines.

"But I take bubble baths." I tell him.

"I know."

.-.-.

"Mikey, it's time to get out of the bath and get ready for school." I yell, sipping my coffee and lying his Watchmen lunchbox on the counter before walking to the bathroom to check on him.

"That's gonna cost you a dollar." He says, ducking his head underwater.

"But I already paid you a dollar just so you'd get _in _the bath. Now I have to pay you more just so you'll get out?"

"One dollar or I'm not getting out." He says defiantly.

"Oh yes you are." I say, walking over the grabbing his arm, attempting to pull him up out of the bubbly water. But he has other plans, he grabs my tie and pulls, causing me to fall headfirst into the large tub.

"Fuck!" I yell once my head resurfaces. Mikey's watching me and shaking with laughter. "This was my good suit, Mikey. I have to be at work in an hour and a half." I whine, pointing to my now soaked tux and soapy hair.

"Stop being such a girl. It's just bubbles." He says, rolling his little eyes and splashing me.

"Oh you're so gonna pay." I say, grabbing him and covering his face with bubbles.

"GEWARD" He laughs, splashing my face again.

"What? You messed up my hair." I pout.

"Here, I'll fix it." He says, scooping up a handful of bubbles and beginning to model my hair.

Five minutes later and I'm still in the bath, admiring myself in a hand held mirror.

"Ooh nice job on the Mohawk. Very 'Ferris Bueller' of you." I tell Mikey. He giggles and a big smile appears on his face.

"Will you do my hair now?" He asks.

"I wish I could, Mikes, but we really need to go get ready now. Come on, out of the tub." I say, pulling him out of the bath beside me. I wrap him in a towel and sit him on the edge of the counter before shrugging out of my jacket.

"Do you think Ransom takes bubble baths with his daddy too?" Mikey asks.

"I'm your brother not your dad." I laugh while taking my wet tie and button down shirt off.

"Oh... well then do you think Ransom takes bubble bath's with his brother too?"

"Frank is Ransom's dad, not his brother." I tell him, taking my dress shoes and socks off.

"Ugh. I'm conwused now,Geward." He whines.

"You and me both, kid." I say, picking him up and walking out into the main room with Mikey in his towel and me dripping in my Looney Tunes boxers.

"Oh my god."

"CASEY!" Me and Mikey yell, our eyes going wide like a deer in front of headlights.

"I'm just gonna go..." She says, rubbing her eyes, grabbing her bag and pressing the button on the elevator.

"Bye Casey!" Mikey yells, as she disappears from sight. "Think we twaumatted her?" He asks.

"You mean traumatized?" I ask and he nods. "Nah, we're both hot."

-.-.-

"Daddy?"

_*poke* _

"Daddy are you alive?"

_*poke* _

"Ransom, get the hell outta my room. It's seven fucking thirty in the morning." I groan, covering my head with a pillow.

"But daddy I have to be at school by eight three zero." He says, sitting on my stomach and poking my chest again.

"I thought I told you never to wake me up. Now the boogie man is going to pop out from under your bed tonight and cut you into little pieces with a chef knife. Then he's going to turn you into chicken nuggets and some random kid at McDonald's will eat you." I tell him.

"But you told me to wake you up." He whines, bouncing up and down on top of me. I groan in pain and push him off. He lands on the bed with a thud.

"I never said that. Now go away, you're giving me a headache." I say, annoyed with him already. I feel him climb off the bed and walk to the doorway. I pull the pillow off my head and look up to see if he's disappeared.

"You did tell me to wake you up. ANNNND you said the boogie man wasn't real. Liar." He spits out, standing against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"Brat." I groan, sticking my tongue out at him.

"DICKHEAD!" He yells, pointing a finger at me and running into the living room.

"RANSOM ANTHONY THOMAS IERO, YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE." I yell after him.

"NO! YOU'RE MEAN TO ME. YOU... YOU MEANY!" He yells back. I climb outta bed, noticing I fell asleep in a pair of black skinny's. I find him curled up on the couch, head on his knees.

"Quiet, kid. We might get kicked out again if we yell." I say, holding my index finger to my lips. I sit down beside him and rub his back. "I'm sorry, k. I did tell you to wake me up. Daddy's just lazy and didn't want to listen. Will you forgive me?" I ask.

"Maybe." He says, peaking at me through his fingers.

"Just promise me you won't say words like that anymore, please?"

"But you say bad words all the time, daddy." He says, lifting his head.

"No, I don't." I tell him.

"Yes you do. You say a lot of bad words. Like shit, and bitch, and dick, and fu..."

"I do not." I whine, covering his mouth with my hand.

"Do too."

"Do not."

"DO TOO." He says, standing up on the couch and pointing at me accusingly.

"That's fucking bullshit. I never say bad words around you." I tell him. He crosses his arms and gives me a look that says _see? _"Ok, how about this. Let's forget about this conversation, get dressed, and then drink Red Bull's while watching cartoons. Deal?" I ask, standing up.

"Deal." He says, running to his room to get dressed.

.-.-.

"Let's go, Mikes." I say, reaching for his hand as he climbs out of the mustang.

"Look Gee, it's Ransom and his daddy." Mikey says, pointing towards the entrance of his preschool.

"I see. Why don't we go say hi?" I ask him. He smiles and we begin our walk to the front steps.

"MIKEY!" Ransom yells, running over to us.

"RANSOM!" Mikey yells as he reaches us. He grabs Mikey's hand and they begin a very detailed conversation on the episode of Scooby Doo that was on this morning.

"Hey." I say as Frank walks over to stand beside me.

"Hey." He replies, the awkward tension growing.

"Gee, can Ransom and his daddy eat at our house tonight?" Mikey asks, tugging on my pants leg while one hand is still linked with Ransom's.

"Sure, if his daddy says yes." I reply, glancing at Frank outta the corner of my eye.

"Will your babysitter be there?" Ransom asks, looking up at me.

"No, I only have to work late on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." I tell him. He smiles and turns to Frank.

"Can we, daddy? You could bring Pansy. Please, please please?" He whines, jumping up and down with Mikey.

"We can't, buddy. I have job interviews all day. Maybe another time." He says sadly.

"Well, Mr. Ie... I mean Frank, I could just pick him up with Mikey and you could come by after your interviews. It wouldn't be a problem." I tell him.

"Alright then, I guess. Dinner over at the Way's house." He says happily.

"YAY!" Mikey and Ransom yell before turning and running inside the preschool.

"Well I guess that's our cue to leave." Frank sighs.

"Oh, I should probably give you my phone number. You know... since we don't know each other very well and you're leaving your son with me..." I ramble, totally blowing whatever 'cool' status I had.

"Um..ok?" He says, digging his hand into the pocket of his skinny jeans and pulling out a sharpie. He hands it to me and extends his tattoo covered arm. "Just pick a spot."

"O...kay." I murmur, searching for empty space on his arm and settling on the palm of his hand. "Here's my cell number, home phone, and work number."

"Wow that's a lot of numbers." He mumbles, looking at his sharpie covered hand.

"Yea...anyways...I gotta go. I was gonna shop for some new clothes for Mikey and then hit the comic book store." I tell him, realizing too late that I sound like nerd.

"Awesome. I wish I could be doing that today. Have fun." He says, giving a small wave before turning and beginning his walk down the sidewalk.

-.-.-

"Shouldn't you be sweeping the floors of a Hot Topic?" The woman asks, chewing on the tip of her pen. I resist the urge to slap that look of disgust off her face and settle for tapping my foot.

"I quit that job, sorry." I tell her, giving a fake, cheerful smile.

"Lucky them." She mumbles, looking over my resume once again. "I see you dropped out of high school, never went to college, and have never kept a job for more than three months... Oh and you play guitar. Good thing you put that in there."

"I dropped out of high school to pursue a music career, thank you. I never went to college because I had a son to take care of, and I can't keep a job because no one will give me a damn chance." I tell her.

"Maybe if you didn't have such a temper they would have given you that chance."

"Well _excuuuse _me for not taking anyone's bullshit." I say, voice rising and patience disappearing.

"I think you need help, Mr. Iero. You don't seem okay." She says, scooting her chair back a couple of inches.

"That's because I'm not, _Ms. Someone stuck something up my ass and never took it out_."

"Mr. Iero, you need to calm down or I'll have to call security." She says, fear evident in her voice.

"Why doesn't anyone give me a fuckin' chance? I can be a hard worker if I have to be. But no, no one will give the tattoo covered, high school drop-out a fucking chance. That right there... is why I'm not o'fucking k."

"SECURITY"

-.-.-

After being escorted (and by escorted I mean thrown over one of the security guards shoulders and carried out like a toddler) out of the office building, I did the one thing that felt right. I bought a 24 pack and went home.

.-.-.

"How about we make spaghetti?" I ask them as they climb up onto the bar stools.

"Only if we can make brownies for dessert." Ransom says. I roll my eyes and begin searching for the main ingredients of pasta sauce.

"It's almost seven. When do you think your dad will be here, Ransom?" I ask, trying to rid myself of the hope in my voice.

"His last job thingy was at five thirty." Is all he says.

.-.-.

"I'm sorry my daddy never showed up." Ransom says as I pull the mustang up the the curb by his apartment building.

"Are you sure this is where you live?" I ask him skeptically. The building looks as if it hasn't been in use for years.

"Yes, third floor, number 13." He says, pushing the back door open and climbing onto the sidewalk.

"Wait a second, I'll walk you to the door." I tell him, following after him and leaving Mikey in the backseat.

"At least lock the door, Geward." Mikey calls after me, glancing around the neighborhood.

"Oh shut up, Mikes, you'll be fine." I mumble. I follow Ransom into the building, up the stairs, and to door number 13, where he takes his shoes off besides Frank's Converse. "Well, good night, buddy. We'll see you at school tomorrow." I say, ruffling his brown hair.

"Thanks for dinner, Geward." He says. Is it really that hard to say Gerard?

"No problem, Ransom. Be good for your daddy." I tell him before he walks inside and closes the door. I wait until I hear the lock click before returning to the car.

-.-.-

"Daddy... Daddy are you alright?" I ask him, poking his side. I look at the scattered empty beer bottles and know he isn't just taking a nap. "Come on, daddy. Let's go to bed." I whisper, smacking his cheek.

"What the fucking hell?" He yells, jumping up from the couch. "Ow my head. I'm going to bed." He mumbles, disappearing into his room. I run to the medicine closet and climb up the shelves.

"Where's that red one?" I ask myself, pushing cold medicines aside. "There wit is." I grab it and climb down the shelves. "Stupid kid lock." I murmur, grabbing the hammer off the shelf. I lie the pill bottle down and bring the hammer down on it as hard as I can. Luckily the plastic breaks and all the pills scatter across the living room. I grab two and fix a sippy of water before running to daddy's room and jumping up onto the bed.

"Here, daddy. These will make you all better." I tell him, he opens his eyes and takes swallows the pills with a gulp of water. When he done, I sit the water on the little table beside his bed and go to make sure the doors and windows are locked.

"Night daddy." I yell, once I'm settled on the couch, remote in hand and cartoons playing quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4) Mama**

-.-.-

"Ugh...go away, you stupid headache." I groan, flipping the pancakes. "Ransom, you better be awake." I yell after glancing at the fridge calender and noticing it's a Wednesday.

"I've been awake for 200 hours." He calls from his room.

"Yea, and Barney isn't a pedophile." I murmur to myself.

"What's a pedotile, daddy?"

"Uh... Oh shit the pancakes." I panic, grabbing the spatula and attempting to save the now blackened pancakes. "Ow! Ow! OW! Fuck, fuck, fuck." I yell, running to the sink and letting my burnt hand rest under the cold water. My elbow hits the ceramic coffee mug sitting beside the sink and it shatters after falling onto the tiled floor. "God damn it." I mumble, kicking the pieces out of the way so Ransom doesn't step on it while barefoot.

"Daddy are you ok?" He asks, walking out of his room in his footie space pajamas.

"No I'm not. I got burnt, and why the hell aren't you dressed yet?" I ask, throwing the burnt pancakes away and turning the stove off.

"I was playing my DS."

"Whatever. I'm going to watch the news or something. Don't step on this shit, please." I tell him, returning to the couch with a thud.

-.-.-

"Hello? Frank?"

"_Hi, Nana." _

"Oh, hi sweetie. Is your daddy there? Nana needs to talk to him."

"_Daddy is sleeping right now. Want me to wake him up?"_

"No, no. Shouldn't you be in school, Ransom? It's after ten."

_"Yea, but then daddy got burnt and fell asleep. So I'm stayin' at home today."_

"Oh, I see... I'm going to come over, Ransom."

"_YAY! Do you want me to wake daddy up now?"_

"No, let your father sleep. He doesn't need to know Nana is coming over. Ok?"

"_Ok, Nana. Bye."_

"Bye honey."

-.-.-

_Knock, Knock, Knock._

"COMING!" A small voice yells from behind the door. It opens a few seconds later to reveal a pj clad, and bed headed Ransom. "NANA!"

"Hi sweetie." I say, reaching down to pick him up. He wraps his arms around my neck with a big smile on his face. We walk inside and I push the door closed behind me.

"I missed you." Ransom says happily, bouncing up and down in my arms. We walk around the house and I survey the damage. Clothes thrown everywhere, beer bottles and a pack of cigarettes on the floor beside my hungover son, a broken mug, and burnt breakfast.

"Ransom, do you have a bag to pack stuff in?"

"I have a backpack." He says.

"Good. Let's go pack some stuff. You're going to come stay with Nana and Papa."

"Are we gonna say goodbye to daddy?" He asks once he's fully dressed and his bag is packed.

"No. Daddy doesn't get to say goodbye."

.-.-.

"GEEEEEEEEEE!" He screams, barreling into me and wrapping his arms around my legs.

"MIKEY" I yell, mimicking him.

"I missed you so so soooo much." He sighs.

"I was only at work, Mikes." I laugh, picking him up and hugging him.

"Doesn't matter. I'm awowed to miss my big brother." He says, squeezing my neck.

"Well, since you missed me so much. How about we go out to eat for dinner?"

"Weally?"

"Really. I passed this new Spanish restaurant on the way home and I really want to take you. So what do you say to Dinner, ice cream, and the comic store?"

"YAY! Me and Geward are going on a date tonight, Casey." Mikey yells, I sit him and down and he runs to the kitchen to tell her. I follow behind him and pay Casey before kicking her out. Once she's gone, me and Mikey go to work on our outfits.

"Ok, go grab your suit and bring it in here. Then we'll both get dressed." I tell Mikey, he smiles and disappears into the hall. "Leave it all on the hanger or you'll wrinkle it." I yell. He runs back into my room a minute later, small black tuxedo in his hand.

"What do I put on first, Gee?" He asks, after we've both stripped down to our colorful boxers.

"The shirt, Mikes. Can you button it yourself?" I ask him while buttoning up my own.

"I'm not a baby." He replies while struggling to get the last one buttoned.

"Ok then."

.-.-.

"Reservations under Mikey Way."

"Of course, Mr. Way. Right this..."

"Oh I'm not Mr. Way. This is Mr. Mikey Way." I say, pointing down at Mikey.

"Oops, sorry. Right this way then, Mikey."

"That's Mr. Way to you, Missy."

.-.-.

"I didn't like that place, Geward." Mikey says from the backseat on the drive to get ice cream.

"A bit too formal huh?"

"No. I don't care about wearing my tux. They didn't sell chicken nuggets. What kind of place doesn't sell chicken nuggets, Geward?"

"How dare they..."

"Can I have a cone instead of a cup this time?" He asks.

"You want me to let you eat an ice cream cone in my mustang? Seriously?" I question his sanity sometimes.

"I promise not to make a mess, and I'll only get three scoops. Pwease, pwease, pwease?"

"We'll just eat in the shop, k?"

"YAY!"

.-.-.

After a three tier ice cream cone, Mikey happily fell asleep on the drive home. I unhappily carried him all the way up to the penthouse (thank god for the elevator) and tucked him into bed before settling into my warm skeleton pajamas. I'm about to sit down and watch the new episode of Law And Order when a quiet _ding_ lets me know the elevator door has just opened. I tip-toe to through the kitchen, remember my skeleton pajamas, and silently curse myself before the elevator comes into view.

"Frank?" I ask in disbelief. Standing in my entryway is good ole' Frank. Wearing his hoodie and sunglasses even though there isn't a single ray of sun left outside.

"Hey. I would've knocked but no door and all that... Are you wearing a onesie?" He asks, a smile forming on his lips.

"Uh...no. These are my pj's. I was about to... Everything okay?" I ask, motioning for him to come sit down in the kitchen. He takes a seat on one of the bar stools and I begin making coffee. Strong coffee, and a lot of it. "So what's going on?"

"It's my mom." He groans, lying his head on the counter. I stand beside the coffee maker, tapping my foot impatiently.

"What about her?"

"I woke up and Ransom was gone, so I called her and she said that he was staying with her for now on."

"Oh, Frank I..."

"She's gonna file for custody, man, and I have no chance of beating her in court. I'm fuckin' jobless, my apartment is shitty and the neighbors cut people into little pieces while we're sleeping. And my mom knows about all my past drinking and drug issues, I'm sure she'll use that."

"Well, I..."

"I can't lose him, man. He's all I have. He's my everything. I love him more than you'd... What if he's better off without me? What if my mom is right? What if I really am a bad influence?" He says, eyes filling with tears he doesn't want to let fall. I grab his hand and hold it in mine. His eyes dart up to lock with mine.

"Ransom needs his father. I'm here for you, and we'll get through this together."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5) Oh Frankie**

.-.-.

"Are you sure it's alright that I crash here? I mean, I don't really plan on walking all the way home at this time of night, but I feel the need to be polite." Frank tells me, suppressing a yawn before collapsing on the black leather couch.

"It's fine, man. Really." I say, tossing him a quilt and heading towards my bedroom door.

"Hey Gee...Gerard." _He called me Gee? Is that a sign? _

"Yea?" I ask without turning to face him. I wouldn't want him to see the hope on my face.

"Thanks. Not just for this...but...for listening."

"Anytime, Frank." _Seriously, any time. It's not like I let any random guy cry on my kitchen counter. Well there was that one..._

"Night."

"Goodnight."

.-.-.

"Mornin' Mikes. Time to get up." I announce, throwing the navy blue curtains open to let the sunlight in.

"Morning Gee." He mumbles, rubbing his eyes. He reaches for me and I cross the small room to pick him up. When we get to the kitchen I sit him on the counter and fix a sippy cup of orange juice before picking him back up and heading to the living room for some cartoons. Frank's in the middle of a massive yawn when we enter the room.

"Oh... Fwankie's here." Mikey notices, grabbing the remote and climbing onto the couch beside the half asleep man before turning on Spongebob.

"Hey, little man. I decided to crash here last night. Hope that's ok with you." Frank says in a scratchy voice.

"It's fine, I guess. Just bwing Ransom next time...and don't eat all our food." Mikey shrugs. Frank laughs and climbs off the couch, releasing a nasty stench into the air. Mikey groans and drops the remote to hold his nose.

"Err...yea. Sorry 'bout that. Do you mind if I use your shower?" Frank asks, scratching his head.

_Of course you can get naked in my shower. _"Sure. It's just down the hall and to the right."

"Thanks man. I'm just gonna..." _Go strip? _"...go do that." He sighs, disappearing down the hall. Mikey giggles.

"I'm going to...ya know...make breakfast now."

.-.-.

_How long are his showers? He's already been in there for twenty minutes. Well the least I can do is get dressed and be presentable for when he gets out. _

After stripping down to my boxers I'm left with a dilemma. _What do I wear? I'm so used to wearing a suit...but I don't have to wear one to work today...What if he doesn't like me when I'm not in a suit? What if I don't match and I look stupid? What if I do match and I look stupid? Should I do my hair? Do I smell alright? Oh god, how do girls deal with all this pressure?_

The master bathroom door clicks open and out walks a towel clad Frank, quietly humming to himself.

"Oh damn." I murmur, taking in his wet body.

"Gerard?" His head snaps up, and then back down. I follow his eyes and remember I'm pretty much as bare as he is.

"Shit." I whisper, turning away from him. "Geez, I'm sorry, man. I th..thought you were in the g..guest bathroom."

"It's fine, Gee, really. It's not like you're the first guy to see me in a towel." _What the... Did he seriously just say that? _"Fuck...that is so not what I meant. Oh god...now I sound like a damn man-whore." He groans, burying his face in his hands. I laugh, grab a white t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants from my dresser, and toss them to him without looking.

"Thanks. I'll just..." He stutters, backing into the bathroom and closing the door. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and go back to picking a casual, yet work appropriate, outfit. A minute later and I'm sitting on the bed, tying my all black converse. There was a lot of mental debating with the voices in my head, but we eventually agreed on a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows, black skinny jeans, and a sleek black tie.

"Wow Gee...you look...nice."

"Oh Frankie..." I jerk around and see Frank standing in the doorway, hair dripping and sweatpants rolled up so he doesn't step on them.

"Frankie?" He laughs, arching an eyebrow.

"Gee?" I mimic sarcastically.

"Fine, we can both have lame nicknames together." He smiles.

"Frankie and Gee." I whisper, liking the sound of it.

"To the end." He laughs, reaching his fist out for me to bump. "I'm going to find food." He calls before leaving the room.

"Yea... to the end, Frankie."

-.-.-

After Count Chocula and coffee, Mikey is fully awake.

"Geward, I think you should take Fwankie home after you dwop me off at school." Mikey says while putting his shoes on.

"Yea, I think he should too, Mikey. After all...I can't really _walk _the whole way." I smirk, watching Gerard roll his hazel eyes.

"It's not like you haven't done it before." He laughs. Handing Mikey his backpack and throwing his own bag over his shoulder.

"Touche."

-.-.-

"Thanks for the ride...and the place to sleep...and the shower...and breakfast." I mumble, opening the door and climbing out of the shiny mustang to stand in front of my apartment building.

"It was nothing." Gerard smiles shyly. "Hey, um..Frank?"

"Yea?" I ask impatiently. Standing outside in a pair of sweats isn't exactly on my to-do list in this particular neighborhood.

"Do you think you could just run inside and change? We could go get coffee. And um... I think there's some stuff we need to talk about." He says seriously.

"Err...ok. I'll be right back." I tell him, closing the door and running inside, up the stairs, and into my apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6) Mustache**

**_-.-.-_**

Frank climbs into the passenger seat, closing the door quietly. The only sounds that can be heard are the purr of the engine and rhythmic tapping of Gerard's fingers against the steering wheel. Every few seconds Frank glances at him through the corner of his eye, noticing he seems perfectly at ease in the claustrophobic, air conditioned space.

_Does he want to talk about Ransom... or about my problems? _Frank wonders.

Gerard doesn't know whether to be flattered or nervous with Frank glancing at him every couple of seconds. He settles for terrified.

_I hope I made the right choice by asking him to talk. He's the one that asked for my help right? Or...no, I offered to help. How would I be of any help in this kind of situation though? What do I even know about Frank? _Gerard contemplates, he begins a mental list of all the things he knows about Frank.

_1) His name is Frank  
><em>_2) He's a father.  
><em>_3) He doesn't have a job  
><em>_4) He lives in a shitty apartment  
><em>_5) His mom doesn't like him  
><em>_6) He likes skinny jeans  
><em>_7) He's afraid of snakes  
><em>_8) Ransom said he's fond of a woman named Pansy_

_Well...I guess I just need to make that list longer. What harm could come from dat... being a friend to Frank Iero? No, I'm being selfish. Instead of adding to the list, why don't I try improving it? _

"Gerard? Are you in there, man?" Frank laughs, knocking on Gerard's head playfully. His head jerks around to stare at Frank with a confused expression before realizing that the car is parked in front of a Star Bucks.

_We already made it to Star Bucks? I don't even remember parking. _"Yea, just thinking about some things, sorry. Let's go get our coffee." Gerard sighs, taking the keys from the ignition and climbing out of the Mustang.

Frank follows closely behind him as they walk through the parking lot and into the small coffee shop. As soon as Gerard pushes the door open, the smell of coffee invades their senses. Gerard can almost feel his mouth start to water. They quickly order and Gerard offers to pay. Frank doesn't have it in him to decline so he just nods and leaves Gerard's side to find them a secluded table.

When Gerard finally sits down across from Frank a big smile is on his face as he sips (more like chugs) his latte. When he pulls it away from his mouth there's a white, whipped cream mustache above his upper lip.

_Someone has an addiction. _Frank thinks, chuckling quietly.

"What's funny?" Gerard asks, crossing his legs contently.

"Oh I was just thinking about the things people do to keep sane. For example, you seem to need coffee to survive, and I'm a heavy smoker. Do you smoke?" Frank tells him, trying not to laugh at the whipped cream covered man in front of him.

"I used to always have one lit. You wouldn't find me without one on hand. But when Mikey came into the picture I decided to try and quit. Well, that didn't work. So for now I just try not to smoke in front of him." Gerard says, staring at something on the other side of the window.

"Do you drink?" Frank asks, wanting to learn more. It takes Gerard a minute to answer.

"No, never." He says quickly.

"Where are your parents?" Frank asks. The question seems to catch Gerard off guard. A distant expression appears on his face and he begins to bite his lip while staring out the window. This should've worried Frank but he was still trying not to laugh at the mustache.

"I take care of Mikey now. Mikey is safe with me." He says quietly, not really answering the question. "Where is Ransom's mother?" He adds, glancing at Frank.

"She left when he was eleven months old, the day before he took his first step. She had a lot of drug addictions and she wasn't ready to be a mother. I doubt she'll ever be ready." Frank says, getting lost into thought.

"And you were ready to be a father?" Gerard asks, finally turning his full attention towards Frank.

"No, I wasn't. I was eighteen when he was born, and I still had another five months of high school. The only things I had to worry about were failing chemistry and finding a decent band to join. He changed everything, to say the least." Frank sighs.

"I was twenty-one when I was given full custody of Mikey. He was two months old." Gerard tells him.

"Wow. That's... that's just a newborn." Frank says.

"I had to get my act together fast. From the time I turned eighteen and moved out of my parents house, drugs and alcohol were my best friends, particularly anti-depressants.

When..._it... _happened, I knew if I didn't get my shit straight then they would put him in foster care. I couldn't let that happen to Mikey, and I just... I couldn't... contemplate losing him after everything that had happened.

It was easy to stop the drugs once I had a real reason to. I think that's why I took them in the first place. I had no purpose, or I didn't think I did at least. But when I got Mikey... I just can't describe it. It was like I suddenly had a reason...to keep on living." Gerard says, looking at Frank intently, begging him to understand.

"Anyways..." He sighs, dropping his gaze to the table once again. "So you play an instrument right? Since you were looking for a band in high school." He asks.

"Yea, I play guitar." Frank says, smirking slightly.

_Guitar? I can make that work... _Gerard thinks.

"Can you play acoustic?" He asks Frank.

"Yea, sure. Why? Did you have something in mind?"

"Well um...I own this art gallery downtown and we just remodeled. Our re-opening is this tomorrow night. I think it'd be really great to have you playing some acoustic stuff on a stool when they first walk in. It would add a whole other art element to the gallery, music. So what do you think? You'd get paid as much as the other staff." Gerard pitches.

"That sounds great, man. But I don't own an acoustic guitar, just an electric named Pansy. Sorry." Frank tells him, shrugging.

_Note to self: Pansy is a guitar, not a woman. _"Oh...that's fine. We have one." Gerard tells him, smiling.

"At the art gallery?" Frank asks skeptically.

"Yea, my...receptionist used to play." He replies.

"Cool. Sure, I'll do it. Don't you have to be at work right now?" Frank asks.

"Yea, but...shit. I'm meeting with an artist in twenty. I better go. We should do this again sometime. It was nice. See ya, Frankie." Gerard says quickly, standing, wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve, and running out the door.

"I guess I'm walking home." Frank laughs.

.-.-.

After arriving at the art gallery with only two minutes to spare, Gerard hurries to the front desk.

"Yes, Mr. Way?" Annie asks.

"Dry clean my suit, schedule me a hair appointment, reschedule my meetings for later, confirm with Casey that she's still babysitting tomorrow, and for gods sakes...find me a damn acoustic guitar."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7) 'Effin Loaded**

-.-.-

_Wonder how she'll feel about this._ Frank questions, smirking and reaching his hand out to knock on the classroom door. He waits a few seconds and although he can hear the screaming preschoolers on the other side, no on answers.

_Knock, knock, knock. _

Soon enough, a man appears behind the door and yanks it open. He appears to be in his late twenties and is way too under-dressed to be a parent of one of the brats at this preschool. _No offense, Gee._

"Uh..." He says questioningly.

"I'm Frank and I'm here to pick up my son." I tell him happily.

"Oh okay. Which..." He starts, motioning to the crazy preschoolers in the room. I search the room and find the set of eyes I'm looking for. Well...the two sets of eyes.

"DADDY!"

"FWANKIE!"

They squeal, jumping up and heading towards me. I kneel down to their level and they collide into me, squeezing as hard as their little bodies can. The teacher stands there, giving them us amused expression and trying not to laugh. I smile and picks the two boys up in each arm.

"This is our new teacher, daddy. Mr. Roro." Ransom says happily.

"That would be me, and it's Toro actually." The teacher, Mr. Toro, says.. "Are these your boys?" He questions.

"Well not re..." I stop and glance at the other little boy in my arms, who has his head against my shoulder and a smile on his face. The one with dirty blonde hair and glasses that he wears on the tip on his nose. The one that never knew what it was like to have parents.

"Yea." I tell him. "These are my boys."

"Well, have fun you three. I'll see you Monday."

"Bye, Mr. Toro." I say, giving him a nod and turning to leave the classroom. "Oh Mr. Toro..."

"Yea?" He asks, turning back around to face me.

"My friend's art gallery is opening downtown, tonight at eight. I'm sure he'd love it if you came."

"Cool. I'll think about it."

-.-.-

"Where are we going, Fwankie?" Mikey asks once we're outside.

"Is Gerard working all day, Mikey? Since tonight's the big opening?" I ask, carrying them down the sidewalk and towards the bus stop.

"Yea. He said he won't be home until after I'm aweep. He said you're going to play guitar at his art place tonight. He's suuuper happy. Casey is going to babysit me."

"Well how about we go to your house and make dinner? Then all three of us can go to the opening and see Gee."

"YAY!" Ransom squeals.

"Weally?" Mikey asks excitedly.

"Yea, weall...I mean really. We need to take the bus to my house first and get me and Ransom a change of clothes for later, okay?" I ask.

"Ok, Fwankie."

"Ok, daddy."

.-.-.

"Do you think Geward will be happy to see us?" A tux clad Mikey asks as we walk down the sidewalk towards the art gallery.

"I think he'll be very happy, Mikey. He loves you so much." I say, squeezing his small hand.

"Fwankie..."

"Yea?" I ask, glancing down at him.

"Why don't me and Gee live with our mommy and daddy?"

"I don't know, Mikes. But I wish I did." I tell him sadly.

"This is it." Mikey smiles, pointing to the large , open building in front of us. The large glass windows seem bright and inviting. Mikey and Ransom release my hands and run ahead to push the door open and disappear inside. I follow closely behind them, taking in the unfamiliar space.

The place is so full of color that I immediately find my eyes darting in ten different directions, trying to study each piece of art all at once. A large desk rests at the other end of the room, where a woman in her early thirties sits, working on something. Behind her is a black door that I assume leads to Gerard's office.

"WE'RE HERE!" Mikey yells, running through the open space with Ransom close behind, past the desk, and knocking rapidly on the black door. Gerard throws the door open, looking at me and then down at Mikey and Ransom who latch onto his legs.

He looks back up at me and points at Ransom. I smirk and shrug. He mouths 'what the hell happened'. I mouth 'later' in return. He sighs and I stick out my tongue.

"What are you doing here, Mikes?" He asks worriedly.

.-.-.

"Fwankie picked me and Ransom up from school, and then we went home and made dinner. It was so much fun. Fwankie tried to make lasagna..." Mikey says, he drops his voice to a whisper and leans towards me. "He burnt it weal bad, but he said it was supposed to be that way 'cause it's Cajun." Mikey whispers happily so Frank doesn't hear.

"Ahh." I reply, shaking my leg in an attempt to knock the boys off. Their grips only get tighter, so after an exasperated sigh I begin dragging the three of us towards Frank. He laughs and meets me halfway.

"Thanks for this. I was so fuckin' nervous about tonight, having yo...Mikey here really helps." I tell him, sitting a hand on his shoulder.

"No problem, Gee."

"So... you ready to do this?"

"Hell yea."

-.-.-

"So you just sit here and play whatever you want. Preferably something calm." He tells me, pushing me down onto the black stool by the entrance.

"So I can play whatever I want...as long as it isn't what I want?" I ask sarcastically. He rolls his eyes and walks over to the broom closet. After rummaging around for a few minutes, he walks out with an acoustic guitar...and not just any acoustic guitar.

"Holy...shit." I say in awe, reaching for the beauty. He hands it over nervously and steps back, allowing me space to get comfortable.

"Is that alright? I mean, everyone said it was a good guitar, but..." He stutters, biting his knuckles.

"This is a 1931 Martin OM-28." I say, then noticing his look of confusion I add... "This is my dream acoustic guitar, Gee."

"Oh...well that's awesome. I'm glad someone is putting that old thing to use. It's just been hiding out in the broom closet for months." He says, smiling. I give him a thumbs up and start messing around with some chords.

.-.-.

"I think he likes it, Annie." Gerard whispers, leaning against the receptionist's desk and watching Frank play.

"He better like it. Just be glad Mikey and I found it at an auction instead of on the shelves. In the store it would've been forty-five, but we got it for twelve." She sighs.

"Twelve bucks? Sweet." Gerard says happily.

"Twelve thousand, Mr. Way." She corrects.

"Holy fuck... That is the last time I let Mikey anything out."

"He did quite well, in my opinion."

"Yea, well in my opinion..."

"Doors open in fifteen minutes, Sir."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8) Kill All The Chicken Nuggets**

**.-.-.**

New, nerve-wrecking, and boring, would be Frank's thoughts on the opening. It was pretty simple. People came in, glanced at him, got welcomed by Gerard, and then walked around to examine the art. After a half hour or so, they would quietly make their way to the exit. Ransom and Mikey stayed in Gerard's office with Annie, coloring and building with blocks.

By 11:00pm the Gerard was saying goodbye to the final guests and walking them to their cab. Frank pretended not to notice and kept on playing. He ran out of songs to play awhile ago and was just randomly strumming chords when Gerard walked back in and pulled a stool over to sit beside him.

"What?" Frank asks, blushing slightly when he feels Gerard watching him.

"Play something, anything." He smiles.

"Err...ok." Frank murmurs, playing a neat little riff that comes to mind.

"Can we come out now, Geward? I wanna watch Fwankie play." Mikey calls out, poking his head around the door of the office.

"Sure, come sit with us." Gerard tells him. The two boys run over to sit on the floor in front of Frank.

"I'm going to head home now, if that's alright." Annie says, emerging from the office with her purse over her shoulder.

"Of course. Thanks for helping out, tonight." He tells her. She smiles and gives a quick wave before heading outside to look for her car.

"Am I too late?"

Four heads jerk around to stare at the man in the doorway.

"Mr. Toro?" Gerard asks confusedly.

"I invited him." Frank says, motioning for him to walk over and join the little jamboree. "No you're right on time. And I see you brought a guitar?" Frank asks him.

"Yea. I was on my way home from an acoustic show and thought I'd drop in." He says shyly, sitting down beside Mikey and taking his guitar out.

"Pway something with daddy, Mr. Roro." Ransom whines, bouncing up and down impatiently. Frank groans and continues playing the expensive instrument.

"Just call me Ray, guys, and sure, I'd love to play with your dad." Ray says happily, settling the guitar on his leg and beginning a riff similar to Frank's.

"SING, GEE! SING!" Mikey yells, tapping on Gerard's leg.

"Mikey...I don't wanna sing, ok?" Gerard mumbles, swatting the little hand away.

"PWEASE?" Mikey begs, giving his best puppy dog face.

"Fine. Umm..."

"Just make some random shit up." Frank whispers so only Gerard can hear.

"_Cause we allllll wanna party when the opening ends..."_ Gee starts quietly.

"_No we don't. No we dooon't"_ Frank adds, causing the little ones to giggle.

"_And we alllll get together when we bury our friends..." _Gerard sings next, glaring at Frank.

"_La la la, la la laaa" _Ray adds in a girly voice.

"_Its been four bitter hours that I've been seeing your face." _

"_It's been fun. It's been fuuuunnnn." _

"_And we'll allll walk away and then start stuffing our face." _Gerard finishes with a smirk.

"I think that's our cue to go get something to eat." Frank laughs.

"CHICKEN NUGGETS!" Ransom and Mikey yell, standing up to jump around.

"Vegetarian." Frank responds in a sing-song voice.

"Chicken nuggets sound good." Ray says.

"Let's go back to our place and we can make sandwiches." Gerard offers, which results in another chorus of 'chicken nuggets or die'.

**.-.-.**

They end up in a corner booth at McDonald's. Gerard with his sandwich, and Ray, Mikey, and Ransom with their happy meals. Frank had had to take a cigarette break when his mom suddenly called. The Ransom and Mikey talk quietly with one another, their minds in another universe where evil doesn't exist.

_I wish I could live in that universe. _Gerard thinks, letting out a sigh.

Frank walks back inside and returns to his seat beside Gerard, burying his face in his hands.

"I take it she wasn't calling to see how you were doing?" He whispers to Frank.

"She was mad as hell in the beginning, but then I explained that I had taken Ransom to **work **with me. That's when she calmed down and actually paid attention to what was coming out of my mouth. She's still filing for custody, but she says if I keep cleaning up my act then I can have Ransom on the weekends. I have to meet with her and her attorney on Monday. It's not fuckin' fair, dude." Frank sighs. What Gerard does next makes Frank's body relax and his breathing slow.

He laces their hands together underneath the table.

Frank doesn't lift his head, he just gives the other mans hand a firm squeeze before releasing it and pulling his hand away. "Ransom, it's time to go, buddy. I need to get you back to Nana's." He says, sliding out of the booth and standing up.

_Oh shit, I screwed up this time. _Gerard thinks, looking at the table and running his hands through his hair nervously.

"But I wanna stay with you, daddy." Ransom whines as Frank lifts him into his arms.

"I know, little man. I want that too, but it's just not gonna happen tonight, ok?" Frank whispers, brushing the hair out of his sons face. He nods and lies his head down on Frank's shoulder. "Thanks for dinner, and for the job." He says to Gerard, nodding stiffly.

"It was noth..." Gerard starts, but Frank interrupts him.

"I'll probably see you on Monday, Ray. It was nice meeting you. Bye Mikey." Frank says quickly, turning his back and making his way to the exit.

Gerard sits there in silence for a couple seconds before making his decision.

"Hey, can you watch Mikey for a second? I forgot to tell Frank something." He says, wiping his mouth off and standing up to follow Frank.

"Yea, sure. Take your time." Ray replies, shooing him away. Gerard practically runs out to the parking lot and after Frank who's walking down the sidewalk with Ransom in his arms, sleeping soundly.

"FRANK! WAIT UP!" He shouts, jogging to catch up to him.

"Gerard?" Frank questions, stopping and turning around to see older man standing in front of him.

"About what happened in there. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable, or if I crossed a line." He says while panting.

"It's fine. You just caught me off guard." Frank says quietly.

"Well, I'm sorry either way and I was just wondering..."

"Gee, I really have to get to the bus stop before we miss it." He tells him.

"I'll drive you both, just give me a second, ok?" He asks.

"Ok, shoot." Frank tells him, watching Gerard switch his weight from one foot to another.

"I was just wondering if you would um...go to dinner with me sometime? Like maybe dinner and a movie at my place? I'm a good cook." He says, smiling nervously.

"Yea, I'm sure Ransom would love that." He nods, smiling back.

"I actually meant just me and you. Like a date, maybe tomorrow night?" Gerard asks him.

"Look... Gerard." Frank sighs, moving Ransom to his other arm when his right hand starts to fall asleep. "I actually just started seeing someone" He says finally, letting out a breath of relief.

_Kill me now, God. _"Oh it's c..cool. Yea, it's cool. I totally understand. I'll um...s..see you later then." Gerard stutters.

"Yea, see ya. Thanks again for the job." Frank says, turning and continuing his walk to the bus stop.

As soon as Gerard starts his walk back to McDonald's his eyes start to sting. _I'm such an idiot, a retard, a Gee-tard. How could I think...how could I hope, that he would go out with a guy like me? Such an idiot... He probably has a beautiful girlfriend. One that can be a mom to Ransom and not some dumb, screwed up art guy._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9) Illusions**

**.-.-.**

**Third Person.**

"Geward, I am weally, weally, WEALLY bored." Mikey whines, sliding down against the door to his brothers studio.

"Go watch TV or something." Gerard replies, not bothering to open the door. It's been closed all morning for a reason. He doesn't want his baby brother to see him crying, especially over something so pointless.

"I already did that." Mikey whines.

"Then go play with Sparkles." Gerard tells him. All he wants to do is today is create. Having the floor covered in crumbled up drawings only makes him more determined to spend the rest of the day locked in his studio.

"But Sparkles is taking a nap." Mikey says, hitting the back of his head on the door.

"Unicorns don't take naps, Mikes."

"Sparkles does." He replies.

"Ugh fine, you can come in." Gerard groans, tearing yet another drawing off of his easel and throwing it across the room.

"Your art room is weally messy, Gee." Mikey laughs, maneuvering around a pile of blank canvas'.

"Yea, I know." He replies, turning his back to the door and hastily wiping his eyes.

"Gee?" Mikey says, concerned.

"Yea, Mikey?" Gerard asks, turning around, eyes red from crying.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yea, fine." Gerard replies, voice cracking near the end. He sighs and walks over to collapse on the small red couch in the corner. Mikey follows and crawls onto the couch, snuggling into his brothers side and laying his head on his chest.

"Did I do something wrong?" He whispers.

"No, never, Mikes." Gerard whispers back.

"Did Fwankie make you sad?" Mikey questions.

"Kinda, but he didn't mean to." Mikey doesn't respond to that, so both boys lay in silence, listening to each others heart beats.

.-.-.

"Gerard? Mikey?"

"Anyone home?"

"GEE? MIKEY?"

"Ugh." A sleeping Gerard groans, rolling over. Mikey rubs his eyes and climbs off the couch, heading towards the door.

"Gee?" Frank whispers, poking his head into the studio. Mikey, still half asleep, walks into his legs by accident and stumbles back. Frank lifts him up into his arms and Mikey wraps his arms around his neck. "We'll let your brother sleep." He whispers, pulling the door closed and carrying Mikey to his bedroom to lie him down.

"You can go back to sleep, Mikes." Frank says, pulling the blanket up to Mikey's chest. The little boy grabs his hand and starts playing with his fingers. Frank takes that as a sign and sits on the edge of the bed. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"You make Gee happy. I make him happy too sometimes, but you make him happy...like... all the time. And you make him smile a lot, and you make his cheeks turn red." Mikey blurts out, trying to say everything as fast as possible.

"And Gee is sad 'cause he thinks you're gonna weave like mommy and daddy. He doesn't want you to weave... and I don't want you to weave. I want you to stay with us forever...but can Ransom stay too? 'Cause I need someone wittle like me around. I mean, you're wittle but you aren't weally wittle like Ransom. He's my friend." Mikey says, smiling at the thought of having his friend around everyday.

"But if you stay you have to take care of Geward. 'Cause he always takes care of me and he needs someone to take care of him too." He says, yawning and closing his eyes.

"I'm gonna go make lunch and I'll wake you up when it's ready okay?" Frank sighs, releasing Mikey's hand and leaving the room.

_How can Gerard already feel that way about me? How can Mikey?_

_.-.-._

"Don't I order the best pizza ever?"

"Mmhmm. Better than Geward's. He always gets the meat wovers. Yuck. I like veggie better."

"Me too, kid."

"Is...Oh you're awake, Gee." Mikey says happily, pizza in his hands and sauce all over his face.

Frank glances up to see Gee in the studio doorway. Wrinkled skeleton pj's (onesie), hair sticking in every direction, and eyes red and puffy. Frank locks eyes with the disheveled man and Guilt begins to consume him.

"Frank."

"Gerard." Frank sighs. _I need to fix this._ He thinks. Frank stands up and makes his way to Gee, face determined and hands balled into fists. Gerard tenses, bracing himself for the punch, his head shying away on reflex.

But Frank doesn't hit him. Instead he wraps his arms around him and stands on his tip-toes to place his lips by Gerard's ear.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, his breath making Gerard shiver. "Forgi..."

Sadly, their moment is interrupted by a loud ring coming from Frank's pocket.

"Ugh sorry, just...one second." He sighs, stepping back and pulling his phone out, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello? I stopped by...at a friends." Frank says, turning his back to Gerard and watching Mikey happily eat his pizza. "Yea, I'll meet you there. Love you too, bye." He says, hanging up and turning back around.

"Sorry, that was..."

"I get it. It's fine. Go ahead." Gerard says quietly, walking around him and towards the pizza. Frank follows and kisses the top of Mikey's head.

"I gotta go, kiddo. Still having that tea party on Tuesday, right?" He asks.

"Mmhmm. Don't forget Ransom." Mikey says with a mouthful of pizza. Frank laughs.

"I promise, I won't. Um...bye Gee."

"Bye Frankie."


End file.
